Page 54

Six months later

Indy winced as three Wasp players jumped on Carter before he could o?oad the ball to his teammates. It was a hard hit. ‘Please get up, please get up.’

Even from her seat this far back from the field, she could see how heavily he was breathing once the defenders got off him.

The grand final was the most brutal game she’d watched him play.

Worse than the State of Origin. Carter climbed to his feet, one hand still clutching the football, the other clutching his shoulder.

Oh, no. It’d been giving him trouble all season.

Indy knew injuries were part of the game given its physicality, but she hated seeing Carter in pain.

He rolled his shoulder, his arm arching high in the air before he put the ball on the ground and stepped over it for the guy behind him to pick up. The game continued.

Beside her, Carter’s mum seized her arm. ‘They’re trying to take him out so he won’t score a field goal!’

Indy could hardly believe she’d only met this woman six months ago.

Maree had invited her into their family unit, dispelling all of Indy’s preconceived ideas about mothers.

Maree was kind but tough, the head of the household.

She was fair and emotional and strong. Even Jonathan didn’t mess with her and while he and Indy would never be best friends, Maree’s ready acceptance of Indy had gone a long way to smoothing the bridge between them.

Maree supported her family to the highest degree, and she’d brought Indy into that fold by checking in with her throughout the week, inviting her to join them for dinner and lunches—even sending her home with freezer meals she’d cooked—and chatting about horses for hours on end.

Indy wanted to be Maree when she grew up.

‘Mum! You’re going to cut off the circulation in Indy’s arm,’ Carter’s sister, Piper, chided from Maree’s other side.

Indy laughed and transferred Maree’s grip to her hand before glancing nervously from the field to the big screen. The teams were so evenly matched, the score had been tied at sixteen for the last twenty minutes of the game. Now there were only three minutes left.

‘How much is a field goal worth?’

‘One or two points, depending on where he kicks from,’ Piper said, gripping Maree’s other hand.

The ball was with the other team and Carter and his Scorpions were doing everything they could to stop them from scoring. Then the Wasps’ number two broke past the Scorpions defenders and shot down the sideline.

‘Get him!’ Emery yelled from the other side of Indy. Mara was also screaming while Nova, Janet and Theresa watched with wide eyes.

She looked back in time to see Isaac Stringer come sprinting out of nowhere and tackle the player over the sideline right in front of them. The Scorpions fans around her erupted like fireworks and Indy joined in, knowing that meant the ball would change over early.

She was on the edge of her seat, literally.

First play. Diego ran ten metres and got tackled.

Second play. Carter passed it to Ethan, who passed it to Dodds, who charged through the Wasps’ line with two players hanging off his back before another took his legs out, but the ball was further down the field.

Third play. Isaac picked the ball up from the ground after Dodds had stepped over it.

Why was Carter dropping back a few metres?

Ethan caught Isaac’s pass. He pretended to throw it to Burgess—a dummy pass, Indy was sure they called it—then spun the other way and threw the ball to Carter.

Indy gasped. Carter dropped the ball to his foot, kicking it towards the posts, then got knocked down in a late tackle.

The ball was in motion, spinning higher and higher then dropping.

Was it going to make it? Please don’t be short.

The crowd fell silent. Indy held her breath.

The football went over the bar with inches to spare.

The flags went up and the crowd rose with them. Indy was on her feet, screaming with Maree, Piper and Emery. On the field, Carter was being jumped on by his teammates. Indy checked the big screen again. Scorpions were up by two points and the clock had no more than thirty seconds remaining.

The Scorpions lined up for play to continue with knowing grins on their faces.

The whistle blew and the ball was kicked but all eyes were on the countdown.

Twenty seconds. Finch and Burgess made a tackle.

Ten seconds. They were too far for a field goal, but the Wasps’ kicker gave it all he had.

Beau caught the ball as the siren went off.

The Scorpions had won the premiership.

Indy was on her feet, jumping and cheering. Maree hugged her, then was lost in the swarm of family. Indy scanned the field, looking for Carter. He was in the middle of the celebration, surrounded by teammates and coaching staff.

‘He won, Indy!’ Emery yelled in her ear. ‘The Scorpions won!’

Her Windale Mountain family celebrated. Indy relished having them here, but there was only one face she wanted to see tonight.

She looked back to the field, her eyes searching amongst the sea of black and teal.

There! He was jogging this way, the biggest grin on his face.

Indy pushed her way down through the rows in front of her, reaching the fence.

It was higher than the fence at the Scorpions’ home stadium on the other side of Sydney.

‘Indy!’ he called, coming to a stop at the bottom. He held his hands up, gesturing for her to jump to him.

She didn’t hesitate, launching herself off the fence. Carter caught her and swung her around.

‘We won!’ he cried in her ear. ‘Can you believe it?’

‘Yes!’ He set her on her feet, and she grinned up at him. ‘I’m so proud of you. You did it!’

The voices of his family and his fans cheering for him came from behind them but a thrill ran through her when she found his eyes only on her.

Since the first game she’d come to, they’d gone from strength to strength.

Working through her doubts and the fading presence of her past, yearning for each other when they were apart and relishing in one another when they were together.

Indy couldn’t imagine life could get any better.

‘I love you,’ he said before planting a firm kiss on her lips. She didn’t care that tens of thousands of people behind them could see or that the chances of there being a camera on them was high.

‘I love you too! Now go celebrate!’

‘Come with me!’ He grabbed her hand and pulled her further onto the field where players, family and friends were spilling onto the grass. Next to him was where she always wanted to be.

Adrenaline was still pumping through Carter the day after the grand final as he drove to the place he considered home.

In the passenger seat beside him, Indy let out a huff as the entry for Longview came into sight, along with the bright yellow ‘For Sale’ sign that had been erected by the mailbox.

They couldn’t see the front of it, but there was no mistaking what it was. It’d been there for at least a week.

‘I can’t believe Jerry’s selling,’ she muttered.

‘That’s what happens out here when you reach their age and none of your kids are interested in farming.’

‘I love this place.’

Carter chuckled lightly and threw on his indicator. ‘I know. You’ve only mentioned it a hundred times.’

‘It’s just perfect. Close enough to the city for you, but far enough away to forget all about it. I don’t want to have to find more work if the new owners don’t need me.’ The worry had sat heavily on her shoulders since her boss broke the news.

Carter had done as much comforting as he could, but he hoped he was about to make things a hell of a lot better.

Instead of pulling into the drive, he stopped the ute alongside the front paddock.

From here they had the best view up to the house blocks, the fruit trees lining the hill where Indy’s place was and the shimmery silver roofs of the giant sheds.

Sheep roamed the paddocks before them while the crops painted the ground to the east. He unclipped his belt and climbed out.

‘Carter? What are you doing? Why are you stopping here? The others are waiting for us at the house already.’

He ignored her question to ask one of his own. ‘What would you change about this place if you could?’

‘Nothing. It’s the perfect property. Prime land for stock, plenty of rain for crops that make it the best for diverse farming options for supplementary incomes.

The layout is beneficial to both … oh, horses.

Jerry’s not a fan but I’d definitely add in a stable and buy a few horses.

I much prefer them for stockwork over motorbikes. And I’d love to try breeding.’

Carter slipped his arms around her, easing her back into his chest so she couldn’t see the big smile on his face. ‘Horses would make this place perfect for you?’

‘And maybe rewiring the electricals in the house. I’d like to be able to run the washing machine at the same time as the television.’

He chuckled. It was just lucky that she’d discovered the power issues in the old homestead during the day and not at night. He made sure the lamp at the end of the hallway had a fresh bulb every few months, just in case.

‘If you could live here for the rest of your life, would you?’ he asked.

She spun around in his arms, gripping onto his shirt. ‘Yes, but only if it’s where you are.’

He lowered his lips to hers, savouring their softness. ‘I want to show you something.’ He grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the mailbox and the sign.

Indy froze in the middle of the driveway. ‘It’s sold already?’

Carter grinned. ‘Welcome home, baby.’

She turned to him with wide eyes. ‘You bought Longview?’

He shook his head. ‘ We bought Longview.’

‘We bought Longview,’ she repeated.

‘Your name’s on the title too.’

Shit. She hadn’t moved. Had he made the right decision?

‘I know how much you love it here and how devastated you were at the thought of leaving. I told you my plan was to retire from footy and live on the land again. I’m not done playing, but this opportunity was too good to pass up. We’ll hire someone to help you out—’

‘Someone in need.’

Her voice was so soft, he wasn’t sure he heard her right.

‘What?’

‘I want to hire someone who needs a second chance. Like I did.’

Pride blossomed in him. ‘So, you like it?’

She launched herself at him and, luckily, he had quick reflexes. He caught her but with how tightly she was holding on, he hadn’t needed to.

‘I love you so much!’

He spun her around, relief and excitement flooding him. ‘I love you, too. But I have one more question for you.’

Sweat trickled down his neck as he released her.

His fingers found the small box in the pocket of his jeans and he sank to one knee as he flipped it open.

‘Indigo Mills, you’re my whole world, and I know this might seem too soon, but I don’t want to do this crazy thing we call life with anyone else.

You’re my one and I’d choose you every time. Will you marry me?’

Her blue eyes filled with tears as she nodded. ‘Yes. A thousand times, yes!’

With his heart ready to burst through his rib cage, Carter pushed the ring onto her finger, threw the box to the side and stood. Gently holding her face in his hands, he kissed her. She’d said yes! His tears mingled with hers on their cheeks as they clung to each other.

Last night, winning his first premiership had been amazing, but today? Indy agreeing to be his wife? Hands down, the best moment of his life.

She pulled back, the biggest smile lighting up her entire face. ‘You and me, every time.’

‘Every damn time.’